Gaffe-prone Butler did it, again

HE has become one of the federal government's most gaffe-prone MPs as he belittled Rooty Hill and western Sydney in general but South Australian Mark Butler might want to look in his own backyard.

On Tuesday, while in western Sydney to make amends for a smutty remark about Rooty Hill, he put his foot in his mouth and said "someone just stole a car" when an alarm sounded outside a Penshurst church.

Yet nearly three times more cars are stolen in Mr Butler's own South Australian electorate than in southwest Sydney.

While 216 cars were stolen in 2009 in the Hurstville local government area, which incorporates Penshurst, a staggering 706 cars were nicked in the City of Port Adelaide-Enfield.

In 2010, a total of 239 cars were stolen in Hurstville compared with a whopping 652 in Port Adelaide-Enfield, according to the latest available figures from the South Australian Office of Crime Statistics & Research (OCSAR) and its NSW equivalent BOSCAR.

Mr Butler's latest gaffe came on Tuesday while visiting Penshurst Uniting Church to announce a pay increase for aged care workers.

When an alarm went off outside the foot-in-mouth MP said "someone just stole a car" but his spokesman denied he was referring to his own vehicle.

It followed a smutty joke last week in which he likened Rooty Hill to a Benny Hill or Carry On skit and claimed he couldn't check in to Rooty Hill RSL "with a straight face" - comments over which he was later forced into an embarrassing apology and a visit to Rooty Hill.

Census 2011 data shows the City of Port Adelaide Enfield has a larger population at 112,815 than the City of Hurstville at 78,855 - a difference of about 30 per cent.

But in terms of car thefts there were more than three times the number stolen in the federal Minister for Ageing's patch in 2009 than Hurstville and 2.7 times the number stolen in 2010.

Asked if his comment regarding the car alarm was a conditioned response from living in his electorate Mr Butler's spokesman said "no" and declined to comment further.

BOSCAR figures also show car thefts declining in Hurstville with 170 in the 12 months to September last year, down from 184 the previous year.